Fi's First Halloween

Fi isn't going to remember much of this Halloween but we figured we still need to get her dressed up for the holiday.  In fact, she ended up getting dressed up twice.  First, she wore the cute little costume that we borrowed from the Olivard clan.  A giraffe seems appropriate for our long little girl. 

The next costume was all Tim's idea.  He suggested we take advantage of her baldness and dress her up like Uncle Fester.  We pinned up a shirt of mine and gingerly applied some powder around her eyes.  Tim made the light bulb that attached to her pacifier.  Unfortunately, she was not feeling stellar this evening so I really felt like we were torturing her.  But she mustered up the patience for a few photos.  Classics I am sure.

Busy Fall Weekend

Fiona had a busy weekend.  We took her out for her first hike on the Appalachian Trail through the Delaware Water Gap on Saturday.  I like symmetry, so it was nice that her first hike was our first hike in the Water Gap (which we did on the day that Maddie was born, just a few days after Tim moved to the area).  We bundled Fi up in her Patagonia bunting, which is way too big for her currently, but she was warm and didn't seem to mind the excess fabric.  Fi was pretty pleased from the get-go.  Here she is smiling as she gets into the pack, which is huge and could be mistaken for a real pack. In fact, someone passed us early on and asked how long we'd be on the trail, mistaking us for being on the trail for days; I don't think they even noticed little Fi in the pack.  

 

She talked a bit early in the trip but was fairly calm and then she slept the last bit of the hike.  Maybe it was her first hippy sighting that brought on the serenity.  We met him at the Water Gap overlook.  He was sitting alone drinking his beer and stretching his neck.  He must have felt we were safe because then he smoked two joints and popped a few pills before bouncing down the trail with his neon green hand weights overhead.  Welcome to the Poconos Fiona!

Sunday was more family-friendly with a Grenko family lunch at Austin's.  Fi had a belly ache, so she didn't enjoy the lunch too much, but she had a great time chatting with Janie back at Nana and Papa's house afterwards.  Their interaction is so funny to watch.  They both seem really excited, chatting and staring with open mouths.  Every once in a while, one or the other gains the confidence to reach out and touch the other.  I love this photo because I have interrupted cousin bonding and feel like I am getting a look that says, "Do you mind? We were just catching up."

6 months old!

 

Fiona hit half a year today, and she is growing by leaps and bounds each week.  Baby proofing will need to happen very soon as she has figured out how to roll herself quite vigorously.  I found her nearly under the futon yesterday after leaving the room for a minute. Fi's become quite the eater too.  Bananas plus apple, pear, and cinnamon purée are always gobbled up. She's less eager about rice cereal and carrots, but we will keep trying to expand her palette.  Her talking has reached the next level as well; she makes single syllable words like ba.  Tim and I are pushing for ma and da.  She's had a pretty excellent half year, and is pleased as punch to be holding her 6-month sticker.

This is what happens when Grandpa dresses you

While I went to DC for work last week, Fiona hung out with my parents.  She had a great time as you may be able to tell from the photo.  I say that "this is what happens when Grandpa dresses you," but really it is partially my fault.  I put her in her funky Halloween outfit from Aunt Tadpole and Uncle Mark.  Then my Dad added the slippers (thank you to the Reineckers) and her duck hat, so she could play in the brisk Fall air on the porch.  Clearly he knows how to accessorize, and she is happy as a clam.

 

Rainy weekend at the shore and fun at home

We spent a rainy weekend at the shore.  The rain was spotty at least so we got out for a couple runs and outdoor time.  Fiona really seems to enjoy the rain cover for her stroller.  When we first put it on, she would grab for it (and try to put it in her mouth of course).  Thank goodness she likes it because even after the rain ended, we needed the cover to block the wind for her.  The wind made for quite an interesting run on Sunday.  Fiona set the pace on our way south down the boardwalk, with the wind pulling her stroller so much that it felt like we were chasing her.  The run north on the boardwalk was far worse, as Tim felt like he was pushing a car instead of stroller.  There were a few times it brought me to a near dead stop, and I wasn't even pushing it.  Here is the sweetie through the gap in the cover.

All that working out, really tuckered her out.  Thank goodness Tim obliged to take a nap with her.  These two were zonked.  At one point Fiona opened her eyes and saw me, but then she turned back towards Tim, rubbed his face, and went back to sleep.  She really loves to touch faces, and the little bit of stubble on Tim's face must be fascinating to her.

She has been a pretty happy camper and is getting more and more active by the day.  Here she is in her bunny slippers playing on the bed with Tim.  I love how you can see her but just the shadow of Tim coming in for some tickles.  She was kicking her legs so much that I can't believe she kept the slippers on!

Enjoying Fall

We took Fi out for a Fall photo shoot this afternoon.  The leaves in the Poconos are changing rapidly so we wanted to make sure we didn't miss all the foliage.  We found a spot nearby where a tree has lost a lot of leaves this week, so it was a great spot to let Fiona play.  We started out by trying to let her sit up.  She isn't 100 percent stable though so she ended up flopping onto her side and rolling onto her belly, which turned out to be perfect.  At first she just looked around at the leaves in amazement.  Then came the huge smile.  Surprisingly, she didn't try to put any of the leaves in her mouth as she has tried to in the past when I have given her one to feel.  Fi just laid there contently.  She is definitely our little outdoor child who loves being outside and looking at trees in particular.

Hanging with the grandparents to eating bananas

Earlier this week, Fiona spent some time in Maryland.  Thanks to the government shut down, she got to hang out with Grandmom and Grandpa while I worked in DC.  She enjoyed playing in Hailey's old car, which is now on my parents porch.  We don't have enough room at home for toys this big so I am glad she can enjoy it at their house.  Gadgets to keep her entertained!  She also spent a lot of time outside in the tree swing.  My dad taught her how to bounce on the swing so the leaves fall down, which was pretty mesmerizing.  

Plus, who doesn't have fun just sitting on the table and playing with toys?  I love her smile in this picture.

Fiona and I came home Saturday to hang out with Nana and Papa before they left on their cruise.  So many grandparents, so much love!  They left Sunday morning after church so Fi was stuck with her parents the rest of the day.  It was a fairly ordinary weekend day of errands, but one of the highlights was from when we went to drop off recycling.  Fi was so tired and was rubbing her eyes as per normal when she is tired.  She managed to yank her bow over her eyes and then fell asleep that way.  As any good parent would do, we snapped a photo before getting the bow off her eyes.  She kept right on sleeping.

Our strong little girl seems to have developed quite the appetite this week, downing bottle after bottle.  We decided that she is ready for solid food given her ravenous appetite and the intense stares she gives us while we are eating.  So later today, we gave Fi her first taste of solid food: bananas.  She watched intently as Tim mashed up some banana with milk before we got her in her highchair (how apropos that Fi's first time in the highchair that Aunt Eileen  gave her was on Aunt Eileen's birthday).  We haven't quite deciphered whether her reaction was positive or negative.  She'd help Tim pull the spoon into her mouth but then she would make a puckered face.  She continued doing so for a few spoonfuls.  It was so much fun to feed her but it is shocking to realize how quickly she is growing!